Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A circuit protection system for an electronic system, the circuit protection system comprising: a control unit; a platform control hub (PCH) connected to the control unit; a PCH power chip connected to the control unit and the PCH to power the PCH; a basic input output system (BIOS) connected to the control unit; and a power supply connected to the PCH; wherein the control unit determines the status of the potential of a PW_OK signal output from the PCH power chip, and gets the current state of the electronic system through the BIOS, thereby outputting an enable signal to disable the PCH power chip and outputting a system PW_OK signal to the PCH when the current status of the PW_OK signal of the PCH power chip does not correspond to a predetermined status for the PCH power chip defined in the current state of the electronic system, and the PCH outputs a PS_ON signal to the power supply to shut down the electronic system in response to receiving the system PW_OK signal.
A circuit protection system for electronic devices includes a control unit, a PCH (Platform Control Hub), a PCH power chip, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), and a power supply. The system protects the electronic device from power-related failures by monitoring the PW_OK signal from the PCH power chip. The control unit reads the PW_OK signal status and the device's current state from the BIOS. If the PW_OK signal status doesn't match what's expected for that state, the control unit disables the PCH power chip using an enable signal and sends a system PW_OK signal to the PCH. The PCH then signals the power supply via a PS_ON signal to shut down the electronic system, preventing damage from incorrect power states.
2. The circuit protection system of claim 1 , further comprising a main chip and a main power chip connected between the main chip and the control unit to power the main chip, wherein the control unit determines the status of the potential of the PW_OK signal output from the main power chip, and gets the current state of the electronic system through the BIOS, thereby outputting an enable signal to disable the power chip and outputting the system PW_OK signal to the PCH when the current status of the PW_OK signal of the power chip does not correspond to the predetermined status for the power chip defined in the current state of the electronic system, and the PCH outputs the PS_ON signal to the power supply to shut down the electronic system in response to receiving the system PW_OK signal.
The circuit protection system as described previously, also includes a main chip (like a CPU) and a main power chip to power the main chip. The control unit monitors the PW_OK signal from this main power chip, along with the system state from the BIOS. If this PW_OK signal from the main power chip doesn't match the expected status for the current system state, the control unit sends an enable signal to disable the main power chip and outputs the system PW_OK signal to the PCH. As before, the PCH then signals the power supply via the PS_ON signal to shut down the system, extending the protection mechanism to the main chip's power supply as well.
3. The circuit protection system of claim 2 , wherein the main chip is a central processing unit (CPU), and the power chip is a CPU power chip.
The circuit protection system as described in the previous two descriptions, specifies that the main chip is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and therefore the main power chip is specifically a CPU power chip. This clarifies the protection system's applicability to standard CPU power management scenarios by explicitly defining those components within the overall architecture.
4. The circuit protection system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is a complex programmable logic device (CPLD).
In the circuit protection system, the control unit, which monitors the PW_OK signals and controls the shutdown process, is specifically implemented using a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). A CPLD is used to provide the necessary logic and speed for real-time monitoring and response to power-related issues.
5. The circuit protection system of claim 1 , wherein the potential of the system PW_OK signal output by the control unit is low.
In the circuit protection system, when the control unit detects an invalid PW_OK signal and needs to initiate a shutdown, it outputs a "system PW_OK signal" to the PCH. This signal has a low potential (voltage). A low voltage signal indicates to the PCH to take action and shut down the system.
6. The circuit protection system of claim 1 , wherein the potential of the PS_ON signal output by the PCH is high.
In the circuit protection system, when the PCH receives the system PW_OK signal indicating a power fault, it signals the power supply to shut down the system. It does this by outputting a "PS_ON signal". The PS_ON signal has a high potential (voltage).
7. The circuit protection system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit protection system is advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) compatible.
The circuit protection system is compatible with ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). ACPI is an industry standard for power management. Therefore, the protection system can integrate with other ACPI-compliant components within the electronic system.
8. A circuit protection method for an electronic system, the circuit protection method comprising: utilizing a control unit to determine whether the potential of a PW_OK signal output from a platform control hub (PCH) power chip to a PCH is low; determining whether the current status of the potential of the PW_OK signal of the PCH power chip corresponds to a predetermined status defined in each of the current states of the electronic system in response to the PW_OK signal of the PCH power chip being low; outputting a system PW_OK signal of low potential to the PCH and an enable signal to disable the PCH power chip by the control unit in response to the current status of the potential of the PW_OK signal of the PCH power chip not corresponding to the predetermined status; and outputting a PS_ON signal of high potential to a power supply to shut down the electronic system by the PCH in response to receiving the system PW_OK signal of low potential.
A method for protecting an electronic system includes using a control unit to check if the PW_OK signal from a PCH power chip is low, meaning there may be a problem. If the PW_OK signal is low, the control unit then determines if the PW_OK signal's current status matches its expected status for the current system state. If the signal status doesn't match the expected status, the control unit sends a low-potential "system PW_OK" signal to the PCH and an enable signal to disable the PCH power chip. The PCH, upon receiving the low-potential system PW_OK signal, then outputs a high-potential PS_ON signal to the power supply, causing the power supply to shut down the system to prevent damage.
9. The circuit protection method of claim 8 , wherein the control unit is a complex programmable logic device (CPLD).
The circuit protection method, as described in the previous method description, uses a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) as the control unit. This CPLD monitors the PW_OK signal and controls the system shutdown process.
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September 2, 2014
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